Environmental exposure to persistent organic pollutants measured in breast milk of lactating women from an urban area in central Poland

Mothers’ milk is considered a channel by means of which new-borns are exposed to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs), environmental pollutants entering food chain and accumulating in fat-rich tissues. In this study, the concentrations of selected PCDDs, PCDFs, and dl-PCBs (a total of 29 substances) in milk samples of 110 breast-feeding women from an urban area were analyzed using the high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry method. Environmental exposure to these substances was expressed by means of the World Health Organization Toxicity Equivalent (WHO-TEQ(2005)) using the Toxicity Equivalent Factor values from van der Berg et al. (Toxicol. Sci. 93: 223-241, 2006). Concentrations and WHO-TEQ(2005) values were then searched for plausible relationships with selected demographic and diet-related factors. The total WHO-TEQ(2005) toxicity equivalent for all 29 substances was (mean ± SD) 10.57 ± 4.57 pg/g fat, while the WHO-TEQ(2005) levels of PCDDs/PCDFs and dl-PCBs were 7.90 ± 4.17 pg/g fat and 2.67 ± 1.36 pg/g fat, respectively. The concentration and WHO-TEQ(2005) toxicity equivalent of dl-PCBs correlated significantly with the mothers’ age (r(P) = 0.3814, p < 0.00005; r(P) = 0.2817, p < 0.005, respectively). The total WHO-TEQ(2005) toxicity equivalent for all analyzed substances was found to be positively associated with the frequency of consumption of fish and dairy products (p < 0.05 for both associations). These outcomes must, however, be interpreted cautiously due to limited size of the study. The results of this paper may provide a basis for further studies on the exposure to PCDDs, PCDFs, and dl-PCBs, and mechanisms underlying their action.